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Cherry Tomato Marinara Sauce

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Cherry Tomato Marinara Sauce

a bowl of raw vegan zucchini pasta

~ raw, vegan, gluten-free, nut-free ~

Tonight we had yet another wonderful raw dinner that we shared with Jason and Moriah. Our dinner was to celebrate two things…Moriah just graduated from college and also to celebrate our wedding anniversary together. Their anniversary is in June, and ours is July 1st.

I have to admit that these dinners just keep getting better and better! I prepared for us a lovely pasta dish made from zucchini for the noodles and a cherry tomato marinara sauce that was crazy good! It sent my taste buds on a pleasurable journey that didn’t want to come back.

I also prepared massaged spinach on the side along with onion bread that I pulled out of the dehydrator just minutes before they arrived.

The funny part was that about halfway through the dinner, Jason informed us that before sitting down for dinner with us, he hated spinach, he hated zucchini, and he hated avocado. All of which I presented right before him for dinner! BUT!!!! He said that he couldn’t believe how he loved the dishes I prepared. He even had seconds!

Oh, I also made a Macadamia Ricotta “cheese” to use as a spread on the onion bread. It was all so exquisite! For dessert, I topped it off with my famous raw apple pie! Yummy! Jason and Moriah took all the leftover food home with them.


Ingredients:

Yields 2 1/4 cups

  • 2 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, soaked
  • 2 Tbsp cold-pressed olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 2 tsp dried oregano
  • 2 tsp dried basil
  • 2 tsp agave syrup or equivalent
  • 1 tsp Himalayan pink salt
  • 2 to 3 large zucchini – I used my spiralizer to make the pasta noodles out of this.

Preparation:

  1. In the food processor combine the; cherry tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, olive oil, garlic clove, oregano, basil, sweetener, and salt. Process until either chunky or smooth.
    • If the sun-dried tomatoes are tough and dry, soak them in some warm water to plump them back up. Be sure to drain and hand squeeze the excess water from them before adding to the food processor.
    • You can use avocado oil in place of olive oil.
    • You can omit the sweetener if the tomatoes are sweet enough or if you don’t want a sweet marinara sauce.
  2. Spiralize the zucchini to create pasta noodles. Toss with marina sauce and enjoy!
    • If you have the time, heavily salt the zucchini noodles and let them sit for 30-60 minutes. This technique will pull the water out of them, leaving you with a softer noodle. Be sure to rinse the salt off and blot dry before adding the sauce.
  3. Store leftover sauce in the fridge for 3-4 days.

Photo by: Krista Banfield Inside the Windy Eye Photography

15 thoughts on “Cherry Tomato Marinara Sauce

  1. Hi! This looks AMAZING!! This is a amateur question.. (lol).. but.. what do you soak the sun dried tomatoes in? Olive oil or water? Thank you so much. I love, love, love your site. I’m new to raw and sharing it with EVERYONE!!

    • amie-sue says:

      Thank you Heather! I love your question and it makes complete sense to ask it….”What do I soak the dried tomatoes in?” The answer is water. I do this to rehydrate them a bit so they chop up easier and so they won’t be so chewy. Use just enough water to cover them. Often when I soak them or even something such as dates, I keep the soak water to flavor other dishes / recipes. I hope this helps and by all means ask away!!!!

      Blessings, amie sue (P.S. – when making this recipe the level of sweetness of the over-all recipe flavor will depend on your cherry tomatoes. Keep that in mind and taste test as you go)

  2. Nicole says:

    HEAVEN! Wow! I’ve tried several raw marinaras over the past year, and they were okay…this one tops them all hands down! The flavour is unbelievable! I used kelp noodles instead of zucchini noodles, mixed it all together and topped it with chunks of raw mushrooms and red bell pepper and more halved cherry tomatoes then sprinkled the lot with your faux Parmesan cheese. Absolutely delicious! I served it with salad (dressing was your ranch recipe) and big chunks of raw red cabbage. Thank you!!!

    • amie-sue says:

      Goodness Nicole, you are making me hungry! lol so glad to hear that you ended up with a full and satisfied belly!! Have a great day, amie sue

  3. Caroline Szumowicz says:

    Made this (missing cherry tomatoes n substituted roasted peppers instead) along with the kale pesto over zucchini joodles with a sprinkle of your parm cheez. My hubby was licking his plate! Yes I was licking the plate too!! All I can say is YUMMY!!!

    • amie-sue says:

      Your making me hungry Caroline! I heard that licking the plate conserves water. hehe Thanks for sharing. Have a wonderful weekend! amie sue

  4. Nicole says:

    I know this is cheating, but I made a batch of this tonight and heated it up on the stove (we had gluten-free spaghetti and tofu “meat” balls), and it was amazing. My partner couldn’t believe how good it was. I’ve made this countless times on my own and eaten it raw with kelp noodles and tons of chopped vegetables, but in case anyone ever has a hankering for cooked spaghetti sauce, this recipe is IT!

    • amie-sue says:

      Good morning Nicole,

      I don’t consider that cheating. It’s all about eating healthier… adding whole food ingredients into our diet. Bob occasionally toasts the raw breads that I make and I don’t have a problem with that at all. At least I know what ingredients went into it, it was made with the best quality of ingredients that I could find and it beats having him eat other gluten-free breads that are packed with other undesirable ingredients.

      I would much rather heat a raw soup than eat a canned one. :) So actually, I think that is pretty cool. Specially since your partner really enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing!

  5. Victoria says:

    Yummers! Your Marinara Sauce was delish!! I had Roma Tomatoes on hand, and the flavor was so refreshing!

    I shared with my co-worker at lunch today, who, due to health reasons has to incorporate a Vegan/Raw lifestyle.

    I have introduced her to your site as you have the BEST recipes. For some some who have to change to a plant based diet your recipes are Epic and one can still feel satiated and not deprived!

    • amie-sue says:

      Thank you Victoria… not only for the sweet words but for sharing with others. :) It is important to have an arsenal of healthy recipes to keep a person on track. Have a blessed weekend! amie sue

  6. Katie says:

    Very watery, is this supposed to be cooked down? Or should you just chop everything and stir?

    • amie-sue says:

      Hello Katie,

      No, this is a raw recipe. You can drain some of the water off. The amount of extra liquid will depend on the tomatoes you use. When I make this with cherry tomatoes, it has a nice texture. As it sits, I do drain a little water off if needed because, in time, the fresh tomatoes start to release more water. I hope this helps. blessings, amie sue

  7. Libby says:

    This marinara sauce is easy to make and tastes delicious. It goes well with the smoked paprika avocado “fries” as well.
    Thank you, Amie Sue, your recipes are making my raw January interesting and fun.

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